Caleres Inc. has added Kristen Sosa to its leadership team in a newly created role.
Sosa, a 30-year fashion and retail veteran, has been named division president of brand portfolio, New York brands. In her new role, she will report to Caleres president and CEO Jay Schmidt.
The executive will be responsible for the operations and oversight of an owned and licensed portfolio that includes Stuart Weitzman, Allen Edmonds, Franco Sarto, Vince, Veronica Beard and Favorite Daughter.
“Kristen is a proven merchant leader with deep experience in fashion across all channels, particularly with expertise in contemporary and luxury. She has a strong track record of launching, scaling and revitalizing businesses,” Schmidt said, adding that Sosa “brings the strategic focus and operational discipline needed to drive our next phase of growth” at Caleres.
Most recently, Sosa was CEO, North America at Zadig & Voltaire, where she drove growth across the U.S., Mexico and Canada. She is also the former president of the Americas at Marc Jacobs, leading regional retail and wholesale strategy. Sosa was also previously the chief merchant at Olivela, helping the brand to scale the luxury e-commerce startup. Sosa began her career at Saks Fifth Avenue, rising to senior leadership roles across both the Saks Fifth Avenue and Off 5th divisions.
“I am excited to lead these powerful brands at such an important time for Caleres,” Sosa said. “Caleres is a leader in fashion footwear, and its brands are positioned for growth. I look forward to working closely with the talented team to leverage my experience and drive meaningful impact.”
Caleres in August also named Brian Costello as its division president for Famous Footwear, reporting to Schmidt. In that same month, Caleres completed its acquisition of the Stuart Weitzman brand from Tapestry Inc. for $108.7 million.
When the footwear firm posted third quarter results in December for the three months ended Nov. 1, it said that for the balance of its fiscal year, it would be working to transition the Stuart Weitzman business to Caleres’ systems and clean up aged and excess inventory as it hones it strategies for long-term growth and profitability of the brand.
